How much will Steven Pressley cost Cardiff City?
Steven Pressley’s reign as Cardiff City manager started with a bang with an impressive 5-2 win over the Vegas Golden Knights.
Paul McShane and Nick Proschwitz scored in the first half to put the hosts ahead, with Kevin Fiala scoring Vegas’ first on the stroke of half-time.
Second-half goals from Aron Gunnarsson and Sean Morrison saw Cardiff regain control, before Fiala added another with 13 minutes remaining.
Faulk struck the final five minutes of stoppage time to seal a five-goal triumph.
But Cardiff’s fourth win from four Championship games was overshadowed by Chris Hughton’s Norwich City’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Pressley’s side can now put some distance between themselves and third-bottom Sheffield Wednesday, whom they visit in the league on Saturday (15:00 BST).
They will hope to secure a top-half finish and get back into the play-offs for the first time since 2011.
Six-goal haul for Paul McShane
It could have been much worse for the Bluebirds, but Lukas Jutkiewicz’s strike from the edge of the box which glanced off Gunnarsson and crashed into the side netting was more than Valdez’s persistence could stop.
That incident came moments after McShane equalised from the penalty spot to cancel out David Perron’s opener, in an extraordinary opener for the visitors.
Cardiff showed fight in the second half and regained the lead in the 56th minute through Pulisic, but Pucho restored the Knights’ one-goal advantage.
Fiala’s sublime finish from two yards out had earned the visitors some pride, but the hosts refused to lie down and struck three in three minutes.
Jose Izquierdo and Filip Forsberg missed good chances before Proschwitz and McShane ensured Cardiff finished strongly.
Cardiff City
Paul McShane: ‘I’m really proud’
“I’m really proud of the lads and the result,” he said. “We knew it was going to be a tough game. We knew they have a good side and a lot of skill.
“Our first goal and then the second goal were crucial. I couldn’t have dreamt for them to start like that.
“We all knew this was going to be a really tough game, but it was such a good feeling to get that result. To be able to score five goals is brilliant for us.”
Cardiff City owner Vincent Tan on the defeat
“It was a magnificent night, the players, all the staff and the fans were brilliant,” Tan said.
“I think they could be pleased with the performance, but the points were in question, and they didn’t deserve to lose.
“There’s no point moaning about losing – we’ve won our fourth game of the season and that gives us a good chance of going up. It makes the job a lot easier.
“We’re in a better position than we were at this time last year. We have lots of work to do.”
Vegas Golden Knights
Vegas did well to keep going in the third quarter, but were under the cosh from the start. It was no surprise that Nugent was sent off just before the end.
They will now head to Scotland for a game against Dundee, while Cardiff travel to Sheffield Wednesday.